Lan Times Guide to SQL

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Summary: Excellent SQL reference. A little Old though.
Review: As an in-depth SQL reference is excellent. I have been studying SQL using this book as the only reference and it's perfect. It's well written, and easy to understand and digest. It even talks about the diferences among Vendors and standards. The only problem is its age: it's a 5-year-old book, and in the evolving computer market, it's a lot. But as an SQL reference: I really recommend it!

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Summary: Updated version of the book is available
Review: For an updated verion of this great book by the same authors, look at SQL: The complete Reference - from Osborne. Most of the content is the same as the old book with about 300 pages of new material.

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Summary: Excellent book, and not only for begginers
Review: I must say, that this book is written by professionals. I have tons of books about SQL, and this book is among of the best.

What is important: authors waste no time on less important stuff. Every chapter, every paragraph in this book is like a sniper shoot.

All clear, all design philosophy is explained. Caveats are pinpointed, working examples provided.

This book will greatly help novices, and also will be useful for advanced users.

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Summary: LAN Times is a good book for Novices to SQL
Review: I was introducted to this book as a student at DeVry Institute of Technology in Dallas, TX. I found the book to be a great introduction into the SQL language. The books presents a detailed (yet non-exhaustive) history of the language, along with a good solid introduction to the methodology of SQL. It also provides practical examples of relational DMBS scripting, history and methodology. I would recommend those with absolutely no database experience check out the Modern Database Management book (ISBN: 0-8053-6054-9) before purchasing this book.

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Summary: The best of the best.
Review: I was searching Amazon for a text on distributed database architectures when I stumbled across this classic. My own copy, bought years ago, is still kept within reach and is a viable today as the day it was written. Love the book - you will too.

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Summary: Best "how to" SQL book I've ever read
Review: I wish I had known about this book three years ago when I became a PowerBuilder/Sybase programmer. This is a very clear and easy to ready book on a not too easy to understand subject. The authors have done a superb job in explaining what the SQL language is and how it works. I highly recommend this book to anybody dealing with RDBMS systems. It's a book that should be on anybody's reference library. The chapters on queries and referential integrity are very well written. Also the chapter on building dynamic SQL is a "must read" for anybody doing this type of SQL access

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Summary: A reference you will turn to again and again
Review: I've had this book at my elbow for a long time, and it is a reliable and thorough reference that will be very useful to the programmer who is not a DBA. Coverage of all the standard SQL keywords and what they do is provided, together with practical examples of when you might want to use a particular statement. Highly recommended.

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Summary: Short and sweet....simply the best
Review: My only regret is that these authors don't write books for every IT subject I'm studying. I am a CNE and MCSE who is studying to become a DBA. Simply put, this is the BEST starting book for ANYONE who is interested in databases or SQL.

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Summary: An invaluable SQL reference
Review: This is a great book to begin to understand how to write queries for databases in SQL. It starts off with the simple queries, and moves onto the more advanced commands that are used for maintaining databases.

It is a simple and clear text, and has been an invaluable source whilst creating databases and writing code to interact with these databases.

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Summary: An Oldie but a Goodie to an Intermediate Level
Review: With 5 other SQL titles on my shelf, plus docs from Sybase, Oracle & MS SQL Server, this is the book I (almost) always grab first.

Well-organized and well-written, an excellent walk-through of "the basics" and as a syntax reference with good examples.

Look elsewhere however for advanced administration and optimization techniques (Celko's SQL for Smarties is good in this regard). Consider this book as best for Beginner-to-Intermediate topics.